Vampire: Dark Ages (Vienna) - Chapter 5: Linz

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Vampire: Dark Ages (Vienna) - Chapter 5: Linz

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Image

The town of Linz sits astride the Danube, between two hills. To the north, larger hills extend into the horizon, but the river creates a flat place where trade flourishes.

Atop the western hill is a fortified church, but the eastern hill is unadorned with the works of man. It is rumored that below this hill are tunnels, carved by the great river over the ages. They say that these tunnels, and in fact the entire hill and all of the forests growing atop it, are haunted. The people who live there are thought to be furtive and deceitful, and are usually given a wide berth by folk of good character.

Among the rats, this is called simply The Forest.
Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff wrote:Rite of the Bolthole

Destination: Linz, my home colony. Check in, mission I was sent there for accomplished, doing work for the three Mothers, on mission now.

Inquire as to where is Scourge of the West.

Find them, "Greetings Scourge of the West. I hope life has fared well this past month, it has been interesting for me. I seek information. Which of the local nobles if any have unseemly amounts of silver. Weapons, armor, goblets, as long as it's silver and pure enough to Wound."

Grinning "I am going to teach a cur a lesson that will be firmly etched on their mind for the rest of their life."

"He and his former pack greatly wronged one that Grandmother smiled upon. I believe the wronged one's mother, a Galliard of the same tribe, is composing verse as a lesson about it."

"When I return, I'll share the true story before it ends up with me being 20 feet tall, teeth like damascus steel, and eyes shooting fire and silver."
"Hah. I don't think you could hide any worse, shooting fire from your eyes. And the 20' tall might explain your loud heavy footsteps. I thought there was a pack of Fenrir walking down our path, instead of a single rat. You must have spent too much time with Gnawers in Vienna."

"But, as for silver... there's a Leech Lord by the docks who's been buying up silver these past few days. I'd thought it would end up in the hands of wolf hunters, so I left it alone. But even your hands would be acceptible, if there's a pelt in the story."

Scourge of the West describes a storehouse in the docks area, near the water, but with stronger walls than most of the buildings down there. "There's a miasma of pain around the place. Even the rats won't go there. The regular rats, that is."
Last edited by Goatkiller666 on Fri Aug 17, 2012 5:14 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Post by Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff »

"My thanks Brother. I think this Lord will find his coffers a bit lighter, and mayhap his life a touch sunnier..."

Getting down to business now

"What sort of leech is he? Guards? Dogs? What do you know of him?"
Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff

Jenner: Hear me! The Thorn Valley Plan is the aspiration of idiots and dreamers! We...
[sees Justin]
Jenner: We were just talking about you.
Justin: That's refreshing, Jenner, usually you're screaming about us.
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Post by Goatkiller666 »

"He is the sort with fangs. What difference does it make? There are dogs. And human slaves. Are you afraid of a few slaves? Just go take what silver you need. But leave the leech alive. Well... leave him intact and dead. We're bolstering his place in the city so all the other leeches reveal themselves as they try to destroy him. It's great fun to watch."

"His name is Sven the Merchant, or something silly like that. He styles himself a freeman, and argues that he is worth any lord. For he as all the wealth of the nobles, but earned it by his own worth, not by an ancestor's. Of course, the elder leeches scorn him, but with our help he continues to thrive. Heh. 'earned it by his own worth' he thinks. It is only because it amused us to watch the leeches fighting amongst themselves that he has risen to such heights. And when we bore of him, he will fall right back down. But do not knock him over just yet. Our games have just begun."
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Post by Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff »

"Leave him alive, but his servants are fair game. Thank you Brother. Once my task if finished, I'll tell you the tale." Bowing, and heading out.

Sven's dwelling, scout around, blend into the local rodent population, leave. Find a safe location to nap until mid evening, return to the warehouse district, watch the who's and what's coming in/out of it. Look for weaknesses in the structure, holes in the masonry, locks on doors, windows. Majorly case the building.

Any way in outside of the door?
Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff

Jenner: Hear me! The Thorn Valley Plan is the aspiration of idiots and dreamers! We...
[sees Justin]
Jenner: We were just talking about you.
Justin: That's refreshing, Jenner, usually you're screaming about us.
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Post by Goatkiller666 »

Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff wrote:"Once my task if finished, I'll tell you the tale." Bowing, and heading out.
"We both know it'll be lies, 'Drenzi. So at least make them fantastic. A good lie is almost as good as a great epic, if the ale is flowing."

Once Kaldrenzi arrives at the warehouse, he finds that it's surprisingly well made. By no means a castle of fine cut stone, but the simple brickwork is smooth and has no gaps. There are few windows, and those are tightly shuttered. There are even long thin nails on the window ledges, to stop birds from landing there.

During the day, the main gates are opened, though several men are standing nearby, clearly as guards. River barges are unloaded by hordes of small scared men under the watchful eyes of the guards and a thin man with a small ledger in his hand. The interior of the warehouse has been whitewashed, walls and floor and rafters.

Kal finds no shortage of places for a rat to sleep off the day, outside the warehouse. During the evening, there are men with dogs on chains standing by the corners of the building. Kal can smell at least two more dogs inside the building. These are angry beasts, strongly angry.

And there's a sense of... unease around the place. Hostility and rage in equal portions. The doors never open, nor the windows. Sometimes the guards outside will knock on the door and speak quietly through, but that is all.
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Post by Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff »

I can possibly raze this building later. But the boats, they come...I have an idea.

Get out of town, shift to Homid, and go upriver a good ways. Far enough that with the currents on the river it'll be a few hours before it reaches Linz. Next boat coming through during morning/daytime, swim to it in Rodens, climb aboard.

Why break into a secure building when a riverboat is so much easier.

Slink through the cargo hold, look for silver. If I find none, bail out and head back upriver. Depending on what I find, whether silver or a sleeping vampire....

They are allied with the leeches, they won't be missed.
Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff

Jenner: Hear me! The Thorn Valley Plan is the aspiration of idiots and dreamers! We...
[sees Justin]
Jenner: We were just talking about you.
Justin: That's refreshing, Jenner, usually you're screaming about us.
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Post by Goatkiller666 »

No barges are moving at night. But during the afternoon of the next day a barge can be seen coming ahead. Kaldrenzi shifts to rodens form and swims aboard. By staying in this small form, he is able to move among the boxes and sacks inside the barge.

All told, it's little more than a floating platform covered in goods, with a sturdy tarp thrown overtop. The whole thing is pulled by a pair of sturdy horses who walk on the river's bank, though the river's current makes their efforts much easier in this direction.

After about half an hour of searching, Kaldrenzi finds a small cache of silver, mostly plates and knives, with a few coins mixed in. It' in a sack, with some bags of grain on top, so it will be difficult to remove without changing form.
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Post by Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff »

This isn't quite enough, I may have to do this again.

Nibble on the packs of grain on top of the silver sack, open a hole to let it run out.

That should lighten it enough for my next trick.

Staying under the tarp, Shift to Crinos, try not to disturb the tarp too much. Grab the sack with silver, pull it free, and dive over the edge. [Spirit of the Fray]

Swim like hell. Stay underwater and deep as I can, listening for the humans on the banks and what they are doing.
Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff

Jenner: Hear me! The Thorn Valley Plan is the aspiration of idiots and dreamers! We...
[sees Justin]
Jenner: We were just talking about you.
Justin: That's refreshing, Jenner, usually you're screaming about us.
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Post by Goatkiller666 »

You are able to spill some of the grain out, to loosen the bag on top of the silver. Shifting to crinos is tricky: you're not significantly larger than before, and even with the grain partially spilled from the sack, you're now pressed into the underside of the tarp, which is fairly securely tied down. However, you don't attract any attention from this, so you continue to squirm until you can pull the bag of silver and your body to the edge of the boat. All of this is done while under the tarp.

You glimpse the horse tenders briefly as you dive out from under the tarp and into the water. They presumably turn around to see what caused the splash, but by then you're already below the water. You swim upstream (away from them) for a ways, and notice the barge stopping, as the tenders search the water.

After several minutes, they see nothing surface, and confirm that the tarp seems to be undisturbed, so they continue on. Perhaps that was simply a large fish breaking the surface?

It's a struggle to break the surface with only your snout, and then to breathe slowly instead of gasping loudly, but you manage to do so. With your ears below the water, you can't really hear much, but you do see the barge continuing on from below, so they must not have noticed you finally surfacing. [Spend one willpower not to make noise there.]
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Post by Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff »

Swim a bit further upstream, until they are out of sight. Climb the shore.

You did it. Step one, acquire silver. Now to head back to town.

Kaldrenzi makes its way back to town, stashing the small silver bits within belt pouches and pockets to minimize seeing it and jingling rather than a visible sack clanking.

Now where is there a Blacksmith to make my restraints. And a silversmith too..


Kal seeks a reputable or semi reputable blacksmith near the edge of town, and places the following order.

Image with plate attachment to cover the eyes/mouth.

Also manacles that cover from mid forearm over the hand, leg irons that do the same from mid calf down over the foot.

This may cost a bit, guess I have to go waylay some cutpurses outside of town if it's too much.

Haggle over the price if it will help.
Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff

Jenner: Hear me! The Thorn Valley Plan is the aspiration of idiots and dreamers! We...
[sees Justin]
Jenner: We were just talking about you.
Justin: That's refreshing, Jenner, usually you're screaming about us.
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Post by Goatkiller666 »

Kal manages to get the bag of silver ashore, distributed about its person, and then walks into town. Coincidentally, it passes the same barge on its way, and the drovers seem none the wiser as they stop to feed and rest the horses.

Once at the edge of town, there are a few blacksmiths, but they all claim to be poor at making shackles and customized parts like that. They can do it, but it'll look pretty rough [As the mask in the picture looks, in fact.]
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Post by Goatkiller666 »

Kal works with a blacksmith to make the mask, mittens, and boots. It then works with a silversmith to line the inside of the items with silver. Then, it begins to track Constantin. The path leads to the [kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=899579#899579]north[/url].
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